A large number of on-the-road vehicle breakdowns are due to the lack of proper antifreeze/coolant maintenance. Car manufacturers and maintenance personnel recommend periodic or annual flushing and replacement of the antifreeze/coolant in the cooling system of an automobile. Despite this known fact, many individual car owners pay little attention to the heating and cooling systems of their vehicles, often neglecting maintenance until trouble develops.
It is a common misconception that antifreeze/coolant does not deteriorate and, therefore, will not need replacement. This erroneous belief overlooks the fact that, over time, most antifreeze/coolants lose their anti-corrosive properties. Thus, a cooling system requires periodic flushing to remove rust and to prevent the build-up of corrosion in the cooling system and engine.
One reason for lax attention to this maintenance is due to the high cost of adding antifreeze coolant at a garage or automotive repair or maintenance facility; due to a high retail mark-up, the charge for replacement is often expensive.
Another problem associated with antifreeze/coolant replacement has been spawned by recent federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirements prohibiting the careless disposal of used automotive fluids. There has been a long-felt need for a simple, inexpensive kit that could be used by the average car owner for the replacement of antifreeze/coolant in the cooling system of an automobile. In addition, such a kit would need to have some kind of container for capturing the used fluid that is drained from the cooling system. The present invention provides such a simple, inexpensive antifreeze/coolant replacement kit for the "do-it-yourself" car owner.
The kit of this invention provides inexpensive components in kit form, such as plastic couplings, funnels and capture tanks. The kit is easy to use and, therefore, takes much of the effort out of the replacement chore. Another advantage of this kit is that it allows car owners to easily perform at home the recommended periodic maintenance of an automotive cooling system.
The kit also provides a means for capturing the used fluid to ease in disposal at officially designated waste disposal facilities.
Lastly, the kit of this invention can be used with almost any water-cooled engine, requiring no modification of the automobile cooling system or radiator.